Maximum Ride: The Fallen Angel Experiment
by Ride on silver wings
Summary: The flock is in disarray after Itex is destroyed. They don’t belong anywhere, they still are not safe, and people are constantly looking for them. To worsen the scene, Max is standing on the brink of insanity. Everything changes forever when she leaves.
1. Prologue

All right, I'm only going to say this once... I HATE PEOPLE!!!

My ex-friend from a year ago has this unholy grudge on me and decided to hack my fiction account here and took all my stories off. Seriously, who does that? It's so juvenile! Anyway, onto the story... again...

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**Maximum Ride: The Fallen Angel Experiment**

**_Summery: _**

_The flock is in disarray after Itex is destroyed. They don't belong anywhere, they still are not safe, and people are constantly looking for them. To worsen the scene a new danger is on the rise, greater enemies to face and fear. All the while, the strong bond between the flock is weakening. Max is standing on the brink of insanity, her leadership being questioned, tested. Everything changes after she leaves…_

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**I do not own Maximum Ride**

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**The Factory**

A meeting was being held in the office on the top floor of the highest building in the city. Every man sitting around the long oval table had mixed expressions on their cleanly shaven faces. There were twelve men around the table, all in their mid-thirties, but there was a younger male standing before them. He must have been no older than twenty-two.

One man, balding and plump, cleared his throat loudly and asked, "Are we quite ready to get this meeting started?" He seemed impatient.

"Yes, quite," another agreed with a bored sigh. "We do have our own corporations to run." Many of the others started to grumble in agreement, but this did not faze the younger man. His eyes remained sharp however soft his appearance seemed.

This meeting was supposed to be the turn of the century. It was a guaranteed success and worked openly with other companies, hoping to share their stock, a simple taste of the soon to be victory. That's only if they wanted a part of it. If they didn't, well, they could just as easily be replaced.

As the annoyed droning wore on, many were already suggesting on leaving already without hearing a word. This made the corner of the man's mouth quirk slightly. His brilliantly deadly coal black eyes were intense, sharp on those flaking out. In his mind, he was already marking them off the list for salvation.

Finally, the young man raised his arms and grinned. "Welcome councilmen. Forgive me for the delay."

"Petulant whelp," one man whispered. His voice, though, carried to the coal-eyed boy's ears as if he were standing right next to him.

Unfazed by the remark, he mildly flipped some of his blond bangs out of the way and continued, "As many of you may be aware of the destruction of Itex--"

"I lost a large sum of money when they crashed," a skinnier man sneered, his narrow face purple in silent rage. "Branches all over the country took a major blow when they failed."

"Yes, Steve McDonough, we are all aware of this."

An older man, wrinkled and worn in appearance, cupped his hands and leaned forward. "Does Itex have anything to do with this meeting, Sir Daniel?"

Sir Daniel, or Dan for short, looked over the group before him again. His eyes caught and registered everything about them. Every imperfection, a freckle, an ingrown hair, a remnant of a scar. Even their scent was just as clear. Musty cologne, stale alcohol, impatient sweat…

"Yes Dr. Croy, this is about Itex." A ripple of mixed emotions spread across their faces once again. This was a hot spot. He continued, "We have confirmation on the original doctors from the earlier practices and experimental procedures."

"You have them in your custody?"

He nodded. "For the most part. We have them working for my company now."

"All of them? I thought the authorities had them in their custody?"

The sun gleaming through the uncovered windows seemed unusually bright for a second. Heat rushed to Dan's cheeks, but they didn't color, he didn't sweat. He hated his word being questioned. "We have in our hold Roland ter Borscht, Paul Robinson, Dr. Pheyser, Dr. Gillian, and last but not least---Jeb Batchedler."

Waves of astonished and disturbed thoughts coated the faces of the men before him suddenly. Many began to ask questions, quick ones, short or long ones. They overlapped each other, none quite getting through. Soon their questions shifted to outright demanding shouts. Tempers flared upon hearing Jeb's name. Words like "traitor" and "backstabber" floated to the top of the outbursts. It hadn't taken long for every company in cahoots with Itex to learn of his deception.

Dan raised a hand and they silenced. "Let us forget about Jeb and focus on the matter at hand."

"And that would be?"

With a slight gesture of his fingers, the shades on the windows started to lower, shielding off the light and leaving them in the natural darkness of the room. A screen lowered behind Dan and it suddenly glowed bright with pictures from a projector hanging from the ceiling above the table. Every gaze on the screen widened, jaws dropped, stifled gasps filled the silence. They couldn't take their eyes off the flipping pictures. None wanted to!

"This gentlemen." Dan gestured towards the pictures, a wicked glint in his eyes. "Welcome to the future of Re-Birth."

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Review please! Thank you! 


	2. There's no Place like Home

"Good job guys," I praised the flock happily. "This is an awesome pit-stop." After ruffling the Gasman's blond hair a bit, I helped myself to another cookie from the cookie jar. Life was good.

Gazzy and Nudge slapped each other high fives before both cheering loudly, "We did good!" With matching grins, the two bolted from the kitchen. Fang and Iggy had to quickly move out of the way in the process. Angel and Total were on the other side of the counter helping themselves to some cookies as well. Life was really good.

It had been well over a month now since we, and Fang's army, completely destroyed Itex. For weeks we heard news flashes of the incident, kids' statements and actions, police enforcement on the matter, political debates on the safety of their country, and even a bit about us. Ideal words aside, we were basically famous and people all over television were begging for our appearance. They wanted to talk to the exclusive and very rare bird-kids.

Hope they don't hold their breaths. We were quite content living on our own with no one sticking their noses in our business. Maybe we'd show up later. Now that's a big stressor on the maybe.

"I don't want to be around other people either Max," Angel, my baby, piped up having obviously read my mind. "I like where we are now. Can we stay here?"

"For a while, but not forever." I knew she liked it here. So did I even. The cabin was comfy and spacious, two stories with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. It was obvious that a family lived here. There were toys everywhere and a game counsel. A PS2. Whatever that was. Along with the nice home, there was a lot of land. Fang and I had gone scouting earlier and found not one other house within three miles of the home. Only trees, meadows, lakes, and an occasional corn field.

It's like heaven here, believe you me.

Iggy moved around the kitchen easily, already having it memorized, and nimbly picked up random ingredients. He went to the stove and started it up. It would be dinner time soon. "How come we can't stay here?" he asked setting the frying pan down.

Leaning back against the counter, I sighed softly. A headache had been forming all morning and now it was threatening to sprout into full bloom. Not the skull shattering kind of headache that left me feeling like putty, but a normal dinky kind. It was probably from lack of sleep. Remembering Iggy's question, I turned around then stared down at the counter and said, "Because we have to keep moving. We can't afford to stop." I could feel Fang's dark and hardened gaze on my back. It was so heavy.

"But why?" He looked in my direction with sightless opaque blue-gray eyes. "We destroyed Itex."

"With the help of my army," Fang edged in, a shadow of a smirk on his features.

I shot him a look before replying, "Because Ig, we're going home." Something heavy dropped in the pit of my stomach, making me feel a little queasy. This had been a stressful decision. For the entire month I have been sitting on it, deciding, waiting, rethinking, and just coming up with the courage to tell the others. Now was that time, I guess.

It was silent for a moment. I was wondering if they even heard me, so I turned around and looked at them. Iggy wasn't facing me, but I recognized his stiff-shouldered posture as he stood over the stove. Fang was staring straight at me, his face set and dark eyes unreadable. Angel was looking at me too. Her eyes were wide, more vibrant than usual, with a cookie halfway to her mouth.

That's when Total looked between us and asked, "So…Where's home?" His voice was all that was needed to break the daze that had befallen my flock.

Fang snapped out of the daze first, his expression set to all seriousness. "We can't go back, Max. Have you completely lost it?"

"Um, hello? I asked a question." We ignored him.

Shaking my head slowly, I looked at him tiredly. "I'm just fine Fang, but not for long. We need to go home." I felt it so. Something deep inside was calling me, pulling me, pleading for me to go back. I didn't want to at first, I didn't want to listen to the feelings. Home was nothing but a nasty memory after the Erasers kidnapped Angel. We swore to never return, but we had to now. We had to.

"There's nothing there anymore," he argued.

"We can rebuild it," I countered.

Total huffed, "Hey, don't ignore me." Again, we ignored him.

"No we can't rebuild it. It was _burnt _to the ground. Ash and rubble. Poof! Gone!"

I knew he'd be a little against the idea, but I never expected him to react like this. He was really serious about undermining me, trying to change my mind. I remembered the last time he tried to change my mind and look how well that turned out. It was also this same guy who was hustling for us to find a home. What better place than home itself?

Anyhow, I was the leader of this particular flock. Not him. So cry me a river. I called the shots here and I said we go. And I'd make him go too, kicking and screaming all the way if I had to.

"Fang, we're going," I said intently with a heavy tone. A tone that made it clear I wanted no more arguments. "That's that." Turning sharply, I marched out the back door of the kitchen into the backyard and kept on walking across the dew covered lawn. The night's breeze ruffled my hair slightly and caressed my skin making my flushing cheeks cool.

Quick footsteps tailed me and I whirled around fast enough to see Fang reach for my arm. "Max, we're not going back!" His tone was loud and aggravated. I could smell the anger rising off him.

I pulled my arm away from his advancing grasp and scowled. "Yes we are! We have to!" My voice rose as well and carried along in the breeze. The rustling leaves and swaying branches against the velvety purple background of the midnight sky created an ominous scene for the two of us. I got goosebumps.

There was no moon in the sky tonight for light, but I was able to see his face as clear as day. I saw the corner of his mouth twitch as he scowled right back at me. "We can't! They know where home is. We'll find somewhere else to go." He tried to dominate the situation by sizing me up.

Something nasty churned suddenly in my gut as heat flushed my cheeks, making my heart beat faster. My earlier exhaustion wore off completely as mild annoyance shifted to rising anger. "We don't _need _some half-home Fang, like how we've been living for probably a year now. We can't continue these pathetic searches for some hidden crevice on a cliff side, in some lonely forest, or an empty cabin in the woods. I'm tired of us having nothing to eat all the time and no place to bathe or go to sleep at night!"

With every sentence my anger rose as did my voice. "We can't just go out and buy a house and forgot about renting, none of us can get a job! If you haven't noticed, we're kind of a flock of superhuman avian-hybrids with no social security number or any source of evidence we exist!"

"Max--"

"Shut up! I won't hear it! I'm sick and tired Fang! I am! I'm tired of always having to move, of always having to ransack some stupid cabin or even a dumpster if nothing's around! Three-day-old burgers are kind of getting a bit stale for my taste thanks. I want a home again! Not a tree in some park, not a stone ledge in some stupid subway station! A home! _I'm tired of raising my family like this_!" At that last part I clenched my fists and screamed at the top of my lungs. I wasn't surprised to find my ears ringing from the pitch, or the little flashing dots blotting out my vision.

Fang will hear me. He will listen. I want to go home. The family needed to go home.

I was trembling with rage, my legs wobbly and uncertain under me. Something wet trickled down my clenched fingers and I picked up the slightest scent of blood. I had dug my nails into my palms. Unclenching my quivering fingers, I tried to keep from balling them into fists again. I was breathing ragged, deep, trying with all my might to calm down. Right now, I was seeing the world in dark colors.

This was such a stupid argument!

Fang looked dazed for a second. I was amazed at how clearly I could see him. Our vision, except Iggy's, was unusually well in the night, but I was seeing things on a whole other level. So when his mouth twitched again and his expression darkened, I was ready. "We. Can't. Go." Our eyes locked.

Without thinking, I tightened my hands again into fists. My nails dug even deeper in my palms, the blood flowing slowly and dropping into little plops on the grass below. I took deep and heavy breaths, trying to slow my thudding heart, and calm myself down. When I felt I could talk again without frothing at the mouth, I asked slowly and clearly through clenched teeth, "Why not?"

His eyes remained impassive, his expression still dark and serious. I noticed the quick nervous twitch in his cheek. He was struggling. I could see it now. He couldn't come up with an excuse, which just made me angrier!

A shooting star caught my attention for a split-second and in that second I wanted nothing more than to get away from him. I wanted to get away from Fang! He was being so stubborn, so selfish, so strange! I was in no mood for it!

"Right," I scoffed. "You don't have an answer. Silent and dark like always. And just as bullheaded!" Backing away from the man I thought I knew, I unfolded my wings just slightly, readying myself. The wind picked up again from behind me and weaved itself soothingly through my feathers and ruffling my hair a bit. I was calculating, preparing for an up and away.

Fang stepped toward me, his hand reaching out. "Max…"

Kicking of the ground like a tightly wound coil, I whipped my wings out and pumped them hard. Pushing down, pulling up, down again, and up. From repeated practices, I had perfected the art of kick-off take-off. Without a second glance at the guy, I willed my power to take me outta here!

Seconds later in a flurry of magnificent blurs, I was a streak high in the sky traveling at crazy speeds over a large body of water. It was the lake that was about two miles from the cabin. I allowed myself to slow down, feeling the power ebb away, and I just soared sluggishly on the rising warm vortexes from the lake. It was all I really had left in me to do.

My head and heart hurt horribly, the headache back in full bloom. I was confused, crushed, and torn apart all at once. "I just want to go home," I whispered to the dark waters far below. My cheeks flushed again as hot tears blurred my vision. I refused to let them fall. It was pointless. Just like the argument Fang and I just had. But it hurt so bad. So much more than anyone would ever know.

"Let me go home."

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Who here votes Max should sock Fang right in the face?

Fang: Wait, what? What'd I do?

Max: (Off flying) Let me go home!

Me: Oh my... (sighs)

Please review. Thankies!


	3. Hidden Secrets, Fearful Affections

Fang watched her fly away. He watched as her powerful wings propelled her through the dark sky so effortlessly. Just like a strong bird, better than any hawk or falcon. So fast and away from him. He watched as her face shift from contorted rage to unimaginable heartbreak. Such sorrow he had never seen.

Then she was gone. Her body no longer a speck, but hidden and safe behind the cover of trees around them.

His heart hammered in his chest, threatening to bust through his ribcage. He just couldn't believe what happened. Max was gone. He made Max run away. For the second time, he sent her fleeing from his presence! He felt a wave of heat flow through his body, making his hair stand on end, his legs tremble, and his fists tighten.

He stood still for a long time taking deep breaths. His mind was overflowing with complicated sceneries. Things he should have said, actions he shouldn't have done, words he should have reworded, and reasons not expressed. He wanted to tell her why they couldn't' go back. Why it was a bad idea. The words wouldn't come, though. Now it was too late.

"Max," he whispered her name softly. His anger had dissipated, but now he was bombarded with sorrow and guilt. He really hadn't handled that well.

Soft footsteps came up behind him and a small hand grabbed his. He didn't even have to look to know who it was. "Don't worry, Fang. She'll be back." Angel smiled up at him, her vibrant blue eyes wide and understanding even in the darkness.

"I know," he replied quietly then giving her hand a good squeeze.

Total trotted over to them, his little black body almost the same shade as the night. "So, anyone care to explain?"

Angel released Fang's hand to kneels and pet Total. "Max wants to take us home, but Fang doesn't want to." Fang stiffened slightly upon hearing his name. "So they got in a fight and how Max is taking a break."

"I get that part," he huffed. "But where is your home? And why doesn't he want to go back?""

"I'm right here, you know." Fang glanced down at the Scottie dog. "If you have a question regarding me try asking me about it."

Total's beady black eyes locked onto Fang's naturally dark eyes. "You seemed to be having a bit of a pity-party, so I felt to leave you be."

"Oh please, spare me the sympathy," he replied sarcastically while baring his fangs. Well, he thought they looked like fangs anyway. How else had he gotten his name?

"Be nice you two." Angel stroked Total's fur as she eyed the two of them. "Our home is in Colorado. High up in the mountains."

"Nice. Why'd you leave?"

Angel's expression saddened upon remembrance of that day that seemed like centuries ago. "It was destroyed, Total." As she spoke, images, memories of the School replayed in her head. "Like Fang said, it was burned to the ground after we were found. I didn't see it, though. I was already captured and probably at the School when it happened."

Fang knelt and captured her in a tight hug, his arms wrapped all the way around her. He held her close, remembering those days as well. "We got you back. We would never let them keep you." His voice was quiet, a mere whisper in her ear. "And I'm glad you didn't see it. That was last thing you needed to see."

She smiled softly as she leaned against him, her eyes half-closed. "I miss home."

"So do I," he admitted.

"Then why?"

He shook his head, silencing her. "I just…I don't want to explain now." She nodded, understanding a little bit. He was her older brother. Strong, brave, and smart. She believed he would make the right decision. Just like Max.

Fang didn't feel the same way about himself. He was uncertain, questioning, and constantly doubting himself. Especially now. His dark eyes then raised to the sky which held its own mysterious blackened beauty. He wished and hoped Max would return soon.

The night would be terribly lonely without her.

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Fang: You know, you don't have my personailty right. 

Nudge: What are you talking about? You're moody, random, emo-ish, complicated, PMS-ish, and you almost never make any sense even if you try. She has you nailed!

Me: Uh, PMSing if for girls Nudge.

Nudge: I know!

Me: Ooookay, and I wasn't even sure I was making him like his normal Sobby McEmopants self...

Iggy: He's not _that_ emo people.

Fang: Thank you!

Iggy: I'd say he's just a whiner.

Fang: ... I'm gonna kill you all...

If you want us to live, please review!!


	4. Predator Eyes

Sorry for the delay. Family troubles. Don't want to go deep into it. Thanks.

Fang: Lazy dork...

Me: Shut up! T.T

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"Do we have confirmation on the whereabouts of the flying freaks?" David Benz, a well-researched chemist and ex-marine, sat in the back of the military van staring at a row of screens on the inside wall. He was speaking into a mouthpiece that was connected to the headset he wore. There was no reply for a while. Just static.

Suddenly, his earphone rang piercingly, and a reply came through. "Yes, we have the kids in our sights. The target took off five minutes ago due west at 200 mph."

He whistled lightly. "Wow."

"Sir. We are ready to move in on your command. Ready to receive orders."

David smiled a toothy, wolfish smile. He just loved these new operatives. They listened well and obeyed every command. Deadly as hell too. "Refrain from moving in." Too bad he wouldn't see them in action tonight. "Orders from the top say to wait until the next phase is in position. Remain where you are and watch them closely. Report everything you see to me first."

"Roger that, sir." Then the feed went back to static. David could only wonder what they'd do with their time now that they couldn't fulfill their nature with a good hunt. He almost felt bad for the bastards, but orders were orders. The bird kids would die some other night.

Switching the frequency on the headset, he spoke into the mouthpiece, "Hey Tom, you there?"

Again, there was static for a second, but a gruff voice replied, "Yeah, what is it?"

"What's the deal with these new guys, anyway? Is it safe? I mean it, is it really safe?" David was friends with Tom. They were in the marines together before having been reassigned to this position. The two of them loved their jobs and loved doing what they did, but the new operatives made them nervous. Maybe a little jumpy.

"That's not really a matter at the moment. The higher ups are just test driving them on the freaks out there. Getting the kinks out."

David could only chuckle for a minute. "Yeah, send some freaks out to fight the other freaks. Makes sense."

"Kinds reminds you of X-men, doesn't it?"

He frowned, flipping some of the screens to a different angle. "I didn't care for that movie." Though, he did kind of see the irony in it. However, in this little scenario, he knew for certain which side was going to win, and no amount of freak power was going to change it.

Back in the woods, deep within the foliage, five sleek figures moved through the darkness, not making a sound. They moved like shadows, seemingly coming to life from their surroundings. None of them spoke as they made their way toward the cabin at the other end of the forest. They had cut off the feed from David, already having their orders.

They had to obey said orders. It was how they were taught. Severe punishment followed suit if they disobeyed.

As they trekked the woods with almost inhuman speeds, they came upon an empty space absent of trees. A small clearing. The sky was open from the parted trees and the stars shown bright, sparkling like priceless diamonds scattered upon a velvet black sheet. Slowing to a stop in the clearing, the five figures clothed in black looked upward. Their faces were covered with the same black cloth, but their eyes were still visible, which were magnificent to behold as the next. They were alive, it seemed. Flickering from deep violet to a bloody ruby red.

Predator eyes.

Silently, the figures read the stars. They calculated the heavens for future events, preparing for the hunt that would be. This time they would only watch and wait. It was going to be a hard wait.

They could hear the bird kids, the failures. The ones in the way. It was their job to take out the failures. Max and the others were the honored ones to have the new operatives try out their abilities for future missions.

Wordlessly, the small group suddenly sprinted off into the undergrowth, their nimble footing not making a sound. It would be now that they'd make the plans, scout out the area again, and set the traps for the failures. Everything was almost already planned. All that was missing was the leader of the Flock.

They needed Max.

It was either take the whole Flock out or they'd be put to sleep. They couldn't be sloppy. Things had to be perfect. From the earlier reports they had to read, this group of rejects worked spontaneously. Just a group of randoms. Easy enough to take care of.

Before they even reached the border of the forest, sounds and smells from the cabin reached them and they calculated everything from that information alone. They could smell the gas stove being used and the hamburger being pressed into the pan. They could hear the sounds of the two flying freaks in the front yard with their dog. The conversation was boring at that, so they thought.

From the information they got without even seeing the cabin, they headed back toward the van to report their findings. The more information they got, the sooner they hoped to go on with the mission. Their bodies ached and yearned to do some action, to fight, to give chase, and to hear the screams of their victims.

After all, it was what they were raised to do, and they were best at what they did.


	5. Homeward Bound

The sun was only just beginning to peak over the horizon, turning it an awful salmon pink color, when I decided to return to the cabin. It was a chilly morning with not a cloud in the purplish baby-blue sky. I spent the night without much sleep, the argument replaying over and over in my head, leaving my mind and body running on raw nerve. Right now, I wanted nothing more than to plop down on one of the soft and cushiony beds inside.

As I landed in the yard, I looked back at the sky. The salmon color that streaked across the blue at the horizon looked terribly ugly and I thought it as ironic that I felt just as terrible as it looked. Shrugging it off, I walked into the cabin wonderfully stocked full of goodies and safety.

Safety.

That one word actually made my skin crawl. We were never safe, I knew this all too well. So did the others, but they were still young, excluding Fang and Iggy. They wanted a life like anyone else's, but still free of responsibility and no nagging adults. Again, except for me. That's why I hoped to get my Flock's butts into gear today and head back to Colorado.

Home was waiting for us after all.

When I walked through the entryway and headed for the stairs, I panicked when I saw a dark shadow come at me from the kitchen door. My body tensed, hands curled into fists, and I lunged at the avenging shadow instead of my usual avoidance tactic. "Max?" I was surprised and stopped my fist just a mere centimeter from totally shattering Nudge's nose into tiny fragmental pieces. She looked up at me with great big terrified eyes. I had actually come close to hitting her.

Pulling back my hand, I ran it through my hair and gasped, "Nudge! Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I didn't know it was you."

She continued to look at me with big, scared eyes. I felt just miserable for this. "It's all right. You stopped, so it doesn't matter."

Nodding unsurely, I leaned back against the wall. "All right, so what happened after I split?"

"Well, Fang, Angel, and Total hung outside for a while waiting for you to come back. They were just talking and talking and talking about weird stuff. Some about home and some about where we've been. They even missed dinner! I mean, come on! Iggy made this awesome--"

"Nudge." I wanted her to stay on track.

She blinked and said, "Oh. Oh yeah! You wanted to know what happened. Basically, Angel and Total came back inside around elevenish. Fang stayed out even later. I went to sleep, so I don't know exactly when he came in." There was silence between us for a little bit as I took in this information. It didn't really surprise me Fang would stay out and wait for me. I kinda figured he would. "Max?" Nudge caught my attention again.

"Yeah?"

"Are we going to split up again?" I could hear the slight fear in her voice. "I don't want us to split up."

For some reason, a small chuckle escaped my chapped lips. "No Nudge. We're not splitting up." Though I'd like to spilt someone's head against the pavement. "I would never do that to you guys again." She smiled and came at me with a hug. I hugged her back, happy to set her at ease, but in my own mind I was doubtful.

Arguments like these usually turned into something more. I didn't want to bring anymore trouble to the flock. Would bringing them home really change things?

It was usually times like these that made me wish the Voice, Jeb, would say something witty. Anything. As long as it took my mind off the situation now. Again, like all the other times the Voice wouldn't say anything for a while, I felt alone. I didn't like it.

"And another thing, Max." She let go of me, her eyes on the floor.

I stepped back and smiled nervously. "Yeah?"

"I want to go home, too. So does Angel and Gazzy. Iggy probably does too. We're behind you all the way." Uncontrollably, I hugged her tightly again. Tears were threatening to fall again.

She had no idea how happy that made me.

"Thank you," that's all I could say. "Thank you."

After the near-fatal collision with Nudge, I took an unbelievably long hot shower. I had almost fallen asleep standing up in the shower, but a bizarre scent snapped me back to consciousness. Taking a deep breath through my nose, I tried to filter the smell through other scents I knew. Ever since the first Itex encounter, my sense of smell had increased drastically. My skin began to crawl, a disgusting feeling creeping under my skin, making my stomach flip.

I knew this smell.

_Danger! Danger! Danger!_

"We have to get out of here!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. Lunging out of the shower, I beat down the door with one good shove and was speeding down the slippery wooden floor. All the while, screaming at the top of my lungs, "Guys! Out! We have to get out of here! Gazzy, get Iggy and take the southwest window! Out! Out! Out!" My heart was humming in my chest, adrenaline pumping through my veins.

Danger. This scent was dangerous! Death was out there, in the woods. I could smell them! They were getting closer. It was on my tongue, in my mind, seeping through my very being. If we stayed here, we were going to die!

Like a blond streak, I saw Angel sprint out of her room for the window at the end of the hall. Gazzy tailing right behind her. Nudge came bounding up behind me, her eyes wide with confusion and fear. I gave her a hesitant nod and she lunged headfirst out the opened window before me. 

Within that split-second freeze-frame, I looked out the window and saw the danger. Off in the corner, right on the border of the woods, I saw them. Five figures cloaked in sync with the background. _Killers. Hunters. They're here to kill us._ Leaping out the window, I fell a few feet before unfurling my wings hard and fast. The rest of the flock was above the house a good thirty feet, circling wide and slowly for me to catch up. I didn't spare a second to reach them.

"Go! Go! Go!" I screamed at them just as I brushed wings with Iggy.

"Which way?" Nudge asked, panic in her voice. She could see the figures streaking across the yard, reaching the house in five seconds flat. "They're coming for us! What if they have guns?"

Scanning the sky quick, I felt the destined direction tug at my mind and I headed that way at near top speed. Like every other time, the flock followed close behind, their powerful, strong wings pushing them forward. I was going to make sure that was how it was going to stay!

_Stupid hunters. Ugly killers! You won't kill us today._ I didn't want to look behind me, but curiosity got the best of me. Glancing back, I saw the cabin getting smaller and smaller, but I sharpened my vision and saw the five figures standing on the roof. Sharpening my sight to the point where I could see their outlines perfectly, I could only gasp when I saw one lower their hood. _Their eyes…_

"Max?" "Oh God!" Blood rushed to my head when I snapped out of it. Catching my breath, I looked over at Angel. "Yes Angel?" 

She was blushing, her eyes diverting to someplace other than looking at me. "Um, you're…naked."

Fighting with all my might not to blush, I was faintly recognizing the cool breeze caressing my bare naked skin. It felt pleasingly soothing on the cold sheet of sweat I developed from the fright, and I saw the sun glinting off it nicely, but I felt absolutely stupid! "I know," was all I could say back to her.

"Oh."

"Wait," Iggy piped up. "Max is naked?" A bizarre expression crawled its way onto his face. He looked curious for a second then he looked absolutely grossed out. "Oh God! Thank you I'm blind already!" Simultaneously, Gazzy and Iggy started making choking sounds, accompanied with the self choking and gagging noises.

Even Total, who was in the carrier on Iggy's back, was howling, "I still can see you guys! Put some clothes on!" I guess my comic situation totally overrode the immediate danger we were just in. Goodie for me.

Fang said nothing as he continued to soar between Iggy and Gazzy. He wasn't even looking at me. I'm not sure why, but this bothered me slightly. I blame the stupid teenage hormones. Those stupid lab guys should have gotten something right!

While trying to ignore the whole naked factor, I continued to play the dominant and totally right in the head leader. "All right guys. We've got a long ride ahead of us."

"Where are we going?" Angel asked.

I looked at her with a sad smile and she instantly knew, but I still said, "We're going home."


	6. Take My Place, Take My Heart

Our long ride, as I said earlier, was cut short by a half hour. We had landed on the roof of a Walmart and Fang had gone inside to somehow steal me an outfit. I guess the little Gasman and Total were sick of seeing my sexy supermodel body, as Nudge put it.

"She's pretty, you guys!" she yelled at them as Gazzy, Total, and Iggy kept to themselves on the way other side of the roof. Angel and Nudge were sitting on either side of me. Finally giving up on it, she crossed her arms and sighed. "Boys. So stupid."

_Got that right._ "They're still only little kids," I teased.

"I'm almost the same age as you!" Iggy yelled, obviously hearing me. Knowing he can't see me, I stuck my tongue out at him. What he doesn't know won't hurt him.

In the midst of Angel and Nudge giggling, I heard footsteps behind me. When I turned to see, something was thrown at me and I instinctively reached out to either grab or block it. A hot pink dress was clinging to my arm. "What the heck!" Flinging the awful thing away from my arm, I looked up at Fang with absolute revulsion on my face. "You have _got_ to be kidding me!"

His face remained impassive and unchanged, but when he spoke I could clearly hear the mockery. "Oh, but why? It matches the color of your face." In his right hand he was holding my clothes.

I yanked them out of his grubby hands and flipped him the bird. "Get bent."

As I got up to put the clothes on, I heard Angel ask, "What does get bent mean?"

"Nothing sweetie," I replied while putting my pants on. "Just forget I said it. Okay?" She still looked confused but nodded anyway. I didn't like to swear or perform rude gestures on front of them, but Fang was messing with me and after last night's episode. I didn't feel like anything he did was funny or cute at the moment. After ripping a few slits on the back of my new black Green Day shirt, I pulled it down over my head and headed for the edge of the roof. "Come on guys!"

"Max wait." It was Fang's voice.

I stopped on the ledge, my toes a mere centimeter from peaking over the edge. Turning to face him, I was hoping with all my might he wasn't about to start something--again. "What Fang? Come on. We have to go."

"No we don't!" he argued. "Look at this place." With a quick gesture, he pointed out the community we landed in. "This place looks nice. And they even have a Walmart! This place has everything!"

"Please Fang. Don't argue me now. Not now." I was worn raw. The adrenaline rush from the previous hunter encounter had run its course and left me exhausted. If Fang wanted to have another go, there was no way I'd be able to keep my bearings. "Now come on!"

_What's happening Max?_ I couldn't help but gasp. Once again, I could feel the slight pull on my mind that always happened when someone else's voice entered my mind. Think that funny if you may, but I'm dead serious. The Voice was back. Jeb was talking in my mind.

"Max, we can't go all the way back," Fang said again. "It'll only put us in danger."

_I don't know what's going on Jeb,_ I admitted pathetically. "Shut up Fang!" Clutching my forehead, I bent forward a little bit in slight pain. _Fang is…Fang is trying to undermine me. He's being a stupid random!_ Then another thought occurred.

Shaking my head, I moved away from him, side-stepping the ledge and creating distance between us. "Stay away from me Fang. And shut up for a second!"

"Fang!" Angel was yelling as she stomped toward us. "Fang, let her go! I want to go home too!"

"So do I!" Nudge yelled in agreement. She was stalking toward us as well, her lean, strong frame tense and ready to fight Fang if she had to. I taught her well. Sadly, maybe too well.

Gazzy and Iggy looked completely lost. They must have not heard about the argument Fang and I had last night. They must have been clueless on everything. Too bad they may have to find out the hard way. 

_Max,_ Jeb eased into my mind again, his voice a soothing drawl.

As I looked at Fang, I saw the ugliness hidden underneath the impenetrable surface of a mask he always wore. I saw the determined twitch in his right cheek, how badly he wanted me to listen, how badly he wanted to lead. He thought I was obsolete, didn't he?

_Every leader loses its rank sometime, Max._ I heard the pity in his voice.

Just why did it have to be now?

"Max!"

Both voices spoke at the exact same time, my consciousness being pulled in two opposite directions, my physical world and mental strength being strained as Fang yanked on my arm and the urgency in Jeb's voice tugging me away. I had had enough!

Watching as the world turned a darker shade of red, I inhaled deeply and screamed, "Fine!" at the top of my lungs. All in all, Fang looked positively surprised. He released my arm and backed off. I glared at him, at his ugliness. "Fine Fang. You know what? Just fine!" I was screaming again and possibly drawing attention to the hundreds of shoppers in the parking lot at my back. I didn't care.

My body was trembling, my arms quivering as I clenched and unclenched my hands. "You go and do whatever the hell it is that you want to do! Obviously you have something that's way more important than home. So go right ahead! You be the leader! You call the shots. You're in charge! Congratulations!"

Angel and Nudged stopped in their tracks, eyes wide, mouths gaped open. I could see the fear creeping onto their faces. The awareness of what was about to happen was bringing tears to Nudge's eyes. I could see them, smell them. A small ping of guilt stabbed at my heart, but this was for the better. It had to be. Looking over quickly, I saw the Gasman gripping to Iggy's arm. A look of utter confusion washed over his for once in a lifetime clean face. It broke my heart.

_Fine. I'm going._ Turning back to face Fang, I was surprised to see a look of disappointment on his gauntly features, but it soon shifted to confusion as well when he saw how dead freaking serious I was. "See ya never, Boss." That's when I took a step backward and fell.

"Oh my! Someone catch her!"

"She walked right off!"

"Someone help!"

Anger rushed through my veins, wiping out any wink of exhaustion I had in me, but it also left me slightly numb and absent. As the people screamed below me, I nearly forgot to unfold my wings and fly.

"Max!" Nudge and Angel leaped off the edge after me, but I had already unfurled my wings and shot past them before they even unfolded theirs. I poured every ounce of speed I had in me into my wings and took off like an avenging angel toward the heavens. The store was way behind me already, my flock not even a speck in my peripheral, but I refused to stop. I refused to slow down!

In my mind, I could see Nudge's wide eyes with knowledge way beyond her years looking at me, her face masked in total and utter devastation. I could see her mouth moving, her lips quivering from the unshed tears. In my mind, I heard her voice, cracked and destroyed from a broken promise from a person in which whom she thought she could trust.

Again, my eyes burned from tears I could not shed. The anger outweighing the unexplainable sorrow. I refused to stop, hoping to keep flying at top speeds, to burn myself out. I wanted to crash and burn. To die. That way the danger would never reach the flock, I would never feel this deception and hurt, and to no longer be a burden on Fang ever again.

Then Nudge's words echoed in my mind again, the ones I never heard but could feel in my heart.

"You lied to me Max. You said we would never split up again. You lied."

Suddenly, something shifted in the air around me, a disturbance in the smooth stream I created. I didn't know where it was coming from, so I tried to slow down a little to see. Next thing I knew, a starburst of pain exploded in the back of my head and a kaleidoscope of colors flooded my vision. Another mind-blowing pain burst struck my head and everything as I knew it, all my anger, deception, fear, and sorrow dissipated as I fell into a world of darkness.

_I'm sorry Max. I'm so sorry._


	7. Trapped in Bubbles

The light flickered, switching on and off hypnotically from a loose fuse, on the ceiling above the examining table. Max watched the light, her eyes transfixed and unresponsive to anything but the light. She didn't blink, didn't move a muscle, only always watching the light. That's all she did for the past two weeks they had her there. For those two weeks, she never once remembered being hungry or tired, sleepy or active, she didn't even remember ever leaving the examining table. All that mattered was the blinking light. The wonderful light that was always there, welcoming and friendly.

It was nice here, she thought. Whenever it wasn't the wonderful bright light, it was the welcoming darkness. Nice and quiet.

For the first time in a log while, Max felt no anger, no fury, none of the deception she had been carrying for a while. The tension in her genetically altered muscles were gone, all and any feeling that made her different was gone. She felt no stress, no pressure, no nagging feeling that she had to _be_ somewhere, _do_ something, or prove herself to anyone. In the darkness, she could be just Max. That thought always made her feel nice, it flowed through her with a slight tingle, making her smile.

When she would open her eyes and stare at the light, she never really cared how unfocused everything was around her. She liked the fuzziness of it all. Her eyes were always keen, sharpening in on any detail around her. Making her tense, ready for action. Here it was like a warm, fuzzy blanket wrapped around her mind. She was bubbly.

Trapped in her bubbled thoughts, she never once noticed the door open on the other side of the room, or the three men walk in. With hurried, quick words, they wheeled the only half-conscious Max out of the room, away from the flickering lights. She felt her old self retuning, rage and fury rising in a quick flash, but a single sting to her right arm made everything melt away and things got warm and bubbly again. Like warm champagne pouring all over her.

I'm so sorry about this Max, a voice spoke in her mind. Max giggled at the voice, not knowing who it was. _Please forgive me._

"I forgive you," she mumbled, thinking it was all a game. The voice in her head was funny.

You won't forgive me Max, the voice continued on with a sorrowful tone. _Not after what they're going to do to you. I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry._

"Did she just say something doctor?" another voice asked.

"No way. Not after what we gave her," the other voice replied. "There's no way she can move or talk."

There was a few shuffled noises and the voice answered nervously, "All right."

Max smiled goofily as she remained perfectly still, thinking it'd be a fun game to fool the voice. So she let them wheel her away, all the while thinking she was playing the best game in the world.

* * *

Me: Well, I put out a few chappies here for you. I hope you enjoyed them. Please review! I'll have more out tomorrow! 

Max: Why am I..stoned in this chapter?

Nudge: I don't think you're stoned, I think you're just in Vicadin Land! LOL

Iggy: That was a terrible joke Nudge.

Nudge: T.T

Angel: What's stoned mean?

Iggy: O.O

Max: O.O

Me: O.o Ummm... Please review so we don't have to explain this to her!


	8. Hell Will Ensue

Me: I'm not too good at these filler chapters. Sometimes I just want to jump to the really icy stuff, but you can't without these silly fillers... Bleh... The drama of being a teenage author...

Fang: You know that made no sense, right?

Me: You're not my friend today...

* * *

I don't own Maximum Ride!

* * *

Sir Daniel walked down the halls of his highly regarded company, looking into certain rooms as he past the windows. His coal black eyes caught every movement within the rooms, some of them meeting rooms such as the one he held up on the top floor so many weeks ago. Though, as he approached floors on the lower levels, the rooms got more antiseptic smelling and science lab looking. 

"If you're to achieve greatness, lives must be sacrificed," he murmured to himself as he walked by a two-way window in which a great amount of animal testing was being performed.

With his highly sensitive ears, he could pick up sounds and movements from all around him, from within the rooms or even on floors above or below him. If he so chose to touch the walls on either side of him, he could feel the vibrations from people talking on the other end. He loved it. He loved feeling so strong, so keen with everything around him.

It just made things sharper, much more icy for the auction that was coming up.

Even though he had only been in this line of business for three months, he already had bidders from all over the country and even a couple from across the seas. All of this was happening because he was better. He had achieved the rank no other could ever even dream to reach. Not only had his company stayed aloft, but the production rate was incredible with the new line in genetic engineering in the Higher Species.

Even more so to tickle his fancy, he was surprised to find that a group of his newly formed operatives had actually managed to pinpoint and capture one of the elusive avian-hybrids. The leader even!

Twitching his index finger quick, he opened a link to the speakers in the building and spoke with a velvety yet commanding voice. "I want to personally thank the group that captured the avian-hybrid so quickly and effortlessly without killing it." Everyone within the building could hear him perfectly, as if his voice wasn't coming out of a speaker. "It's actions and skills like these that pave the successful path for Re-Birth." With yet another twitch from his finger, the link was cut off and his voice no longer carried through the speakers.

Suddenly, to Dan's surprise, a blare of alarms started going off. The hall he was in glowed a rapid red and men dressed in black suits came bolting into view. He looked at them crossly, demanding with cruel eyes on what was going on.

One of the men stopped and spoke to him, his voice morphed from the suit's mask. "Sir, there's trouble going on in the west wing, where we're keeping the newly surged operatives." With just one glance at Dan's eyes, he was stricken with fear beyond mortal comprehension. "S-sir. Please. You should probably-"

"Take me with you," he demanded, his voice no longer pleasant, but sharp and jagged, like a knife to the soul. "I expect no problems. Not in my business! If there are any failures, just put them to sleep! It's that simple!" His golden blond hair blazed like wildfire in the rapid red alarm lights. Then he pulled back his upper lip, exposing perfectly pointed teeth. He was serious!

The man quivered, hesitating for a second. Knowing very well that if he said one wrong thing, his life would be over. "It's the new recruit. The avian girl. There was a problem."

"What _kind_ of problem?"

"Well, sir." He hesitated a moment, catching his breath. "You see sir. She…"

Dan inhaled sharply then let it hiss out through his teeth, forming venomous words. "What about her? Spit it out or I'll use you for a living target in the next training session!"

"There was a problem with her cerebral cortex coming out of surgery. It's rejecting the new cells, the new implants. Right now she's in a volatile stage, moving without conscious accord. She's already taken out three of your best operatives."

"Then take her out! Rewire her!"

"There's the problem, sir." He shook his head. "She may not make it to even receive the surgery again. She's gonna end up killing herself."

Things were not supposed to turn out this way. This was the time for Re-Birth! His chance to renew the next generation and prove to everyone how powerful he was! There was no way in hell he would let something like this go by. "Do not let her get damaged. Take care of her. Fix the problems. Rewire her," his voice cut right through the man, his angled predator eyes staring him down. "Or God have mercy on you, because I sure as hell won't."

Before the man could answer, a strange ping noise came from his suit. After a few seconds, the man stated to tremble. "New report," his voice shook, trembling with fear, even through the distortion of the mask. "The specimen, the avian, she escaped."

Dan looked at the man, his face oddly blank for a moment. He just stared at the man with eyes void of any emotion for a second, no warning signs going off for danger. The man thought he was safe, thinking his boss would understand that it wasn't his fault and all would be forgiven.

"Unacceptable!" his voice rang out like funeral bells, his fingers curled into lethal claws as he dug them through the man's gut. With that one fatal thrust, he had managed to tear through the suit and puncture the man's gut, burying deep and rendering flesh along the way. A strangled choke escaped the mask's filter as the scent of blood flooded Dan's senses. His eyes flickered a malevolent deep violet as he yanked his hand out. Blood tinted his fingers and half his hand as he watched the man fall to his knees.

As the man fell forward, he choked out, gagging on his own blood from the suit. "Sir!" he gasped. "It wasn't my fault!"

Dan never answered. He just watched the man die at his feet, his senses sharper and clearer than ever, his heart racing. A problem had occurred right before the bid. That would do serious damage to his image. He had to fix it.

With quick gestures of his fingers, he sent out emergency mission alerts to every working operative in the building, even the out-of-date models. Everyone would be on high-alert now. A specimen had escaped, a highly volatile specimen. If she wasn't captured, and soon, dangerous things would ensue.

The repeat of Itex would soon be over the horizon for Sir Daniel.


	9. Home Is Where the Heart Is

Fang and the others were grouped together back in Arizona with Dr. Martinez and Ella. They had desperately looked for Max for weeks, and those weeks turned into a full month. Now at least a month and a half had gone by and still nothing. No Max. No heroic yet slightly bi-polarish leader. There weren't even any Erasers or Flyboys for them to take their anger out on.

Dr. Martinez tried valiantly to get information out of Fang and the others on how and why Max was gone. She cried for days on end, her whole world falling apart. Everyone felt sorry for her just as they were angry at themselves for not telling her. They didn't want her to worry more than she was already.

It was tough, but Fang had taken up on the position as leader. He would go about looking tough and strong for Angel and Gazzy, but they were still cross at him. As was Iggy, Nudge, and even Total. Total, Nudge, and Angel filled Gazzy and Iggy in on what Max and Fang were arguing about.

All at once, the group had confronted Fang and told them they wanted to go home too. Fang, as always, would say nothing on the matter and walk away. One day, finally, they were totally fed up with the whole thing. They agreed on what they should do.

"Hey Moms?" Nudge poked her head through the kitchen door. They all called her Moms. It just sounded right.

Dr. Martinez looked at her from the table, her eyes bloodshot, deep plum bags under her eyes. "Yes honey?"

"Can we talk to you for a minute?" Nudge scooted into the kitchen, making room for Angel, Gazzy, and Iggy to peer in.

She smiled as she ran a hand through her messy hair. "Yes. Of course." Breathing in shakily, she got up quickly. "I'll make some coffee for us. Ella will be home soon too, so I should make something to eat. Are you hungry?"

Nudge held up her hands, a sign for her to calm down. "No thanks Moms. We have…something to go do and to tell you."

"You guys are leaving again? No! What if one of you goes missing too? What if something happens and I can't be there to help?" Tears brimmed her eyes as she walked in panicked circles around the kitchen.

Total watched her with his little beady eyes then whispered, "She should really lay off the coffee and get some sleep."

"Total, hush," Angel scolded.

Nudge walked over to Moms, her eyes wide and calming. She took in a deep breath and said, "I don't know where to start. Oh, I know. You want to know where Max is, right?"

"Yes!" she practically screamed, but clasped a hand over her mouth then nodded. "Yes, I want to know where Max is. Where is my baby?"

She giggled in the back of her mind hearing Moms call Max a baby, but she didn't feel anywhere near laughing right now. Instead, she diverted her eyes to the window and admitted slowly, "We're not really sure ourselves."

This took a minute for it to sink in, before she replied, "What? How can you not be sure?"

Iggy raised a timid hand and admitted, "We haven't known this entire time. She kind of…left us."

"She didn't _leave_ us," Gazzy snapped, his face grim. "_Fang_ chased her away."

Without their knowledge, Fang was standing out in the hall right by the kitchen door. He could hear them talking, hear the grudge in the little Gasman's voice. A ping of quilt stabbed his heart, but he said nothing, did nothing. He listened.

Moms still looked confused, her mouth open slightly with unspoken questions. Nudge took this opportunity to keep talking. "Fang and Max had an argument. Actually, a couple of them, and neither turned out pretty, I guess. I guess that's what you get when you're around the same people for years. People get cranky and a little crazy. I was thinking Max was just upset because she was caught naked that day when we escaped from those scary hunters in the morning. Good thing Max was awake and alert that morning or we'd either be full of holes, stuffed and mounted on some crazy scientist's wall, or-" Gazzy and Iggy clasped their hands over her mouth, shutting her up.

"You're scaring her Nudge," Gazzy informed her through clenched teeth. He looked at her again and saw the poor woman's eyes saucer plate wide, her face very, very pale. "Now either stick to the facts, or I'll tell the story."

"Ife mant foo fay id!" Whatever that was supposed to mean in Nudgenese…They released her mouth and she continued to speak, not missing a beat. "So, anyway, after we landed on a Walmart, Fang went in and got her some clothes, but when he came back she wanted us to leave right away. Fang tired to stop her for some reason and tried to not make us go home."

"Wait, go home? As in, this home?" Moms gestured to her house.

Shaking her head, Nudge leaned against the counter, remembering how Max had done the same thing back at their hideout so many weeks ago. She could even still remember the scent of the cookies she was eating. The praise she gave her and Gazzy for spotting the cabin from the sky…

"No, _home_ home. The one we lived at with Jeb when he first escaped with us when we were very little." Like a stomach-ache that would never go away, she felt terribly nostalgic. Being with Max and always having a place to be usually got rid of that, but since she was gone…there was so safe feeling, no warmth of a place like home. Nothing felt right. "So we have to go again. We have to try and find Max again. With or without Fang."

Moms, Dr. Martinez, looked at Nudge, seeing how grown-up she really seemed standing before the flock with such a strong will. She could have easily been fooled into thinking Nudge were a couple years older. Like any mother, she felt proud of her. Even though she wasn't her real birth mother, she thought of them all as her kids. "Nudge, you go do what you need to do. All of you." She forced a trembling smile, cotton forming in her throat as she held back tears. "Whatever happens, just know you always have a home here. Always."

Just like always whenever she felt at least a little bit loved, or experienced that truly wanted feeling, Nudge's vision was blurred with tears. She couldn't help herself as she wrapped her skinny arms around Moms and smiled. Angel, Gazzy, and even Iggy, the big lug, hugged Moms. They knew they were accepted here, truly loved and cared for.

They wanted Max back more than anything now.

Iggy broke apart from the little hug-fest and unfolded his wings slightly and exclaimed, "All right! Let's get this search and rescue mission on the way! Gaz, we stocked up on weaponry?"

Gazzy went over to the table and held up a backpack, a big devious grin blotting out any innocence. "Oh yeah. Got every last one of 'em." They then proceeded to rub their hands together in that diabolical evil fashion.

Nudge and Angel looked at each other skeptically before shrugging and sighing, "Boys."

"Take care of yourselves," Moms edged in just as they crowded out the back door. Total was strapped into the carrier quickly on Iggy's back.

Angel looked back just as she touched grass. "We will. We promise!"

"Where do you think you guys are going?" a strong voice cracked like thunder, stopping them in their tracks.

Nudge whipped around quickly, her keen sight catching Fang's figure just as he stepped around the house. She clenched her fists and glared. "We're going to find Max, Fang! You can't stop us!" Fang continued to approach them, his face void of any expression. "I mean it Fang. I'll fight you if you try to stop us!"

"Can't you kids go more than a day without fighting each other?" Total asked exasperatedly.

Fang was right in front of Nudge now, he was staring down at her with intent eyes. She wavered, but continued to be strong. "Up and away guys!"

"Stop!" He shot a fierce look at them all, his voice thunderous again. Nudge thought for sure she was going to have to fight him to get them out of there, but then his eyes softened, his expression warming up a bit. "We'll go together. I want to find Max as much as you do."

There was still a thick atmosphere around them as they took to the air. None of them knew just how much they could trust Fang now that him and Max weren't getting along. What would he do when they did find her? Would he just chase her away again? Where was Max for that matter? The possibilities were limitless and frightening.

Even with the cool wind caressing their worn and worried bodies, not one of them felt at ease. This was going to be a very long flight.

* * *

Fang: Why do you insist on making my life hell? 

Me: Face it Fang, the fans love it.

Fang: (gives readers a very dark glare) If you review anything good for this stupid girl's crappy story, I'll-- (gets shot in the head with a bazooka bean bag launcher thingy)

Iggy: Did I hit him?

Nudge: Is he dead? O.O

Me: Who gave you that?!?!

Angel: (smiles innocently then turns to readers) Review please. I want Max back.


	10. Feral Eyes

Sorry for the delay... Here's the chapter you've been kind of waiting for! Sorry it's short. It's meant to be.

* * *

I am not of owning Maximum Ride (A grammer teacher's worst fear xD)

* * *

Leaves and branches blurred into view, whipping at her neck and face, cutting her deeply like daggers as she sprinted blindly through the forest. Her heart hammered in her chest, threatening to burst, blood rushing to her head, making things unusually clear, undeniably bright! She ran faster, her rubbery legs somehow pushing her forward, her lungs working extra hard to keep her conscious. 

Everything was happening so fast! Birds twittered and zoomed by like speeding missiles, light flickered and flashed like slanted strobe lights hitting off broken glass, sounds and scents crashing into her senses all at once. Pain raked her mind, controlling her body and actions, preventing coherent thoughts.

All she could do, all she knew to do was run. Run and for the oddest, strangest reason, she wanted to fight. Rage burned in her gut like a white-hot eternal flame that could never, would never, be put out. She couldn't understand it, her mind didn't process. Things just whirred by, slipping her mind just as soon as it entered.

She knew not who she was, where she was, or where she was going. Run, hide, and hate. That was it.

_Max, snap out of it! _a voice shouted in her mind.

Planting both feet into the ground, she crouched in attack mode, her fingers curling into lethal claws, teeth bared. She looked around, angled eyes searching feverishly through the brush, looking for the threat. Her prey.

Again the voice pleaded loudly, _You have to snap out of it! Wake up!_

Pain exploded behind her eyes, making reality shift gears for a second as she lost her balance to cup her ears. She clenched her teeth together in a pained snarl, a deep feral growl rising in her throat. There was no target for her to eliminate. To silence the voice! She was confused, her unfocused and chaotic mind fighting for order.

_Don't you see what's going on?_ it went on to say, the plea growing louder. _They did stuff to you Maximum. Don't let them control you this way!_

Inhaling a deep gulp of air, she screamed at the top of her lungs and bolted in a random direction. She was a streak against the docile background, her movements clear and precise, subconscious readiness of where to place her footing next. The whips and cuts of a stupid branch meant nothing as long as she could escape the voice, escape the unknown enemy!

Her heart continued to pound in her chest so hard that she could see every beat visible in the corner of her eyes. She sought valiantly for somewhere to hide. Someone had to be following her. That must have been how they were speaking in her mind! All because they were close enough! She was brilliant!

_You can't escape me, _the voice said sadly. _I'm always with you, always have been. I know you. I know you better than anyone. _

She felt enraged by the voice, totally disgusted with how they thought they _knew_ her. When she didn't even know herself…

Spotting a fallen tree up ahead, she saw she would have to leap over it. She tensed her muscles, preparing to make the leap.

_I wouldn't,_ the voice warned.

The tree arrived, she tensed, and released like a tightly wound coil. She lifted off the ground higher than ever before and cleared the fallen tree easily. A type of snobby cockiness feeling flowed through her, liking the fact she proved the voice wrong. She never even noticed the ground missing beneath her feet…

Her enraged scream cracked like thunder as she plummeted off a sheer drop-off, tumbling a great height of thirty feet. She didn't panic, she knew nothing of fear, of dread, as she continued to drop. Instinct told her to remain loose, to keep her knees bent. She touched ground hard and fast, but the shock didn't snap her shins like toothpicks as it should have. A feral smirk crept its way onto her features, razor sharp teeth glinting in the speckled sunlight.

_What have they done to you?_

Raising her chin to the air, she let out a sharp laugh. She recognized the voice, the pitch, the fear. It was someone she had buried, cast away when she was reborn. Just for an instant, so quietly, a response flickered through her mind, taunting the voice, _They made us perfect._

In that next instant, all rage and self-riotousness melted away, leaving her feeling numb and hollow. A scent wafted along in the breeze. A familiar scent. A scent where no matter where she was, what she was, whoever she was, she'd recognize it. It was imprinted into her mind, grafted into the innermost regions of her brain. Just from that smell, she felt as if she lost a piece of herself and another piece rise up in fury.

Her top lip curled back, exposing her new and very lethal fangs. She turned her head, the scent wafting in the slight breeze, coming from the right and getting closer. Things started turning very dark, the sunlight shifting to a reddish hue.

_Max, don't._ The voice started to panic. She could sense it. _Max!_

She no longer heard the voice. Ignoring it completely. Herself. Nothing was going to sway her now. She had a scent, she felt the urge.

The hunt begins.

* * *

Fang: (Stares) What the hell did you do to Max?

Me: (Smiles innocently) Nothing!

Nudge: Ooooh, feral jungle Max. Very nice. Wait... Is she?

Me: (Slaps hand over her mouth) Quiet you! Please review! Thank you!


	11. Double Oh Crap

Fang: I can't believe you're still going on with this.

Nudge: You're just pissy because she's making you out to be the bad-guy.

Me: No one's the bad guy here, I'm just showing everyone his _ugly_ side.

Angel: You will enjoy this chapter...

* * *

Do I look like James Patterson? No. There's your answer...

* * *

Two figures stood in the shadows of large ash trees, their bodies concealed almost invisibly into the green foliage around them. They remained motionless and eerily silent. The sounds of wildlife sprang up around them, mixing and turning into an almost hypnotic whirring rhythm only nature could make. Under these sounds, throughout them, the figures were separating and calculating which noises to focus on.

They were waiting for their prey to stumble into their path. A mere whiff or awkward snap of a branch would send them into hunter mood, striking down their victim in a single gasping breath. It's what they were trained to do, what they were born to do.

"What do you suppose this escaped specimen is supposed to be?" one asked, their voice distorted by the mask's filter.

Another one shifted slightly, their hand curling around a low branch. "I'm not sure, Boss. No one's told us much of anything. Just to capture it, or kill it if we had to."

The wind shifted suddenly, the sun's rays cutting through the leaves of the trees and shattering into a thousand different streams of light. Everything seemed distorted around the figures, as if their very presence disrupted the natural balance of the world around them. They were aware of this, though. In each mind of the perfect assassins, they knew they did not belong, were not meant to be a part of this world. They were made for the soul purpose to carry out specific missions of search and destroy, to obey without question.

To all they were nothing, but each one knew they were something. Something special. So they went on with everything they did with icy clarity, ready to strike, to succeed.

It was the perfect way to live.

One of the figures lowered their hood, a quick glimmer of light shimmered of their short, raven black hair. She looked around, her angled predator eyes focusing in on everything around her, catching every scent and smell of the area. The light flashed into her eyes at wicked angles, making them flicker from shimmering gold to malevolent ruby red. Her pupils were mere slits within the swirling pools of demonic intentions.

"You really shouldn't be sneaking around like that, Clone," she said suddenly, her voice sharp as daggers.

Another figure walked toward them, their movements much clumsier and ordinary than the two deadly beings cloaked in black. She looked at them with average, watery eyes of any human teenager, but even she held a burden of one so strange. So unnatural. With a heavy defiant huff, she sat down on a stump and glared at the two. "Don't call me Clone. I have a name, you know." She flipped some of her blond hair behind her shoulder.

"Your name is nothing to us. Clone is your assigned identification," came the distorted response.

Max II, Clone, continued to glare at the two as she casually brushed off some dirt from her new blue jeans. Though, they were torn and smudged on purpose. Along with her supposedly popular with the teens Green Day shirt. She never quite knew why kids even liked those dorks. Especially Maximum. Wasn't she supposed to be just like her?

"So, what's the deal?" she asked suddenly, tired of the silence. "Am I supposed to kill them this time? Or am I going to have another close-contact match with the loser again?" When they didn't answer, she got up and jabbed a finger into one of their shoulders. "Hey, I'm talking to you!" Next thing the poor girl knew, she was face first in the moist earth, but the thrust felt to have at least broken her nose. She had her mouth open in a silent cry, dirt and old leaves filling her mouth, as one of the hunters held her arm twisted back in a painful position.

"Don't break it Scout," Boss said idly, not even looking at them.

Scout looked at Boss quick, her fierce eyes finding reason when she did, and released Max's arm. She growled, baring her lethal fangs. "Don't touch me again. Filthy random."

Max crawled quickly away then staggered to her feet. She glared back with equal ferocity, but the intensity of the other's made her shrink back in fear. Her anger fading. Instead, she hung back against a tree and waited impatiently. Occasionally rolling her injured limb. "This sucks," she mumbled. "What if they notice me again? Like last time? That little brat can read my thoughts, remember?"

Scout gave a loud frustrated sigh. She was sick of the stupid mutant's complaining! "We _know _that already. Don't you think we would have taken care of it?"

"Well, did you?"

"Yes!"

"How?"

The look on Scout's face was terrifying. She was obviously seconds away from striking and killing Max. Her kind was not used to mingling with anyone outside their pack. It wasn't in their original design to be integrated with another group. Boss saw the look on Scout's face and held up an arm, blocking her. "Calm down. We need it alive for the mission." With masked eyes, they looked over at Max. "No more questions. We've handled any problems beforehand. The collar around your neck-"

Max toyed with her chain-linked collar. It was small, silver, and very thin, but very strong. She was chained, collared like a dog. She would never be free…

"That has a beacon in it we can track anywhere on the globe. We're keeping a close eye on you. Orders from above, you know."

A deep growl formed in the depth of her chest as an image of the guys from above popped into her head. She hated them. Ever since she was sold to Operation Re-Birth, she was treated horribly. Even the bastard Jeb was helping. How she hated him even more…

"Also, that little freak won't be able to read your thoughts with that. You don't need to worry about it falling off or breaking, it doesn't come off unless mixed with a certain chemical and it's unbreakable."

Scout grinned, her fangs glinting in the evening sun. "So you can just drop the fantasy of running away. Escape is impossible. Welcome to Flight School, my dear," her tone was venomous as she mocked the poor girl.

Flight School was something Max II had come up with in the few months of terrible solitude in the new lab. Flying was forbidden for her now. So was any means of free time. She was a prisoner, stuck on the ground, her dignity stripped from her very body. Thus, Flight School was formed.

Max silently vowed to get them. Get back at these two monsters. That's what they were, monsters. They weren't human, weren't exactly mutants either. The Erasers were more human than them, even in their wolf forms. So were the "Flyboys", as she's heard them be called. These special operatives. They weren't normal. Not something to be trusted.

However different they were, Max swore to find a way to make them hurt. Make them pay. Her freedom was worth anything. She would do anything to achieve it. Even kill if she had to.

And soon, she knew she would have to.

"Clone," Scout snapped. "Get your head out of the clouds and pay attention!" Her voice was sharp and crisp, but quiet enough to be a whisper. She motioned to the air, her eyes flashing through various colors, her pupils slit from the sunlight. "They're here." The tone of her voice, the feral growl buried within those words, made the hairs on the back of Max's neck stand on end. When Scout looked at her, it took all she had not to shudder in fright. "Let's make this look good, birdie."

Boss looked at her then, gloved hands motioning for her to get ready. "They're coming in from the east. The dark one, the alpha, is in the lead."

Max snorted at the thought of the dark one being called alpha. What an ego stroker…

"Get going freak!" Scout hissed. "Let's see those turkey wings flapping! Make this look good…We'll be keeping our eyes on you."

She didn't need to be told twice. Ruffling up her hair, she smeared some dirt on her face quick, and her jeans and shirt, then took off at a quick sprint away from the two monsters. She felt the moisture in the air sticking to her as she ran, the breeze cooling the beaded sweat on her forehead. Her heart hammered in her chest as she prepared for lift-off.

_Fwoosh!_

With a single, effortless unfurling, her wings were open and catching the rushing wind.

_Fwap. _

_Fwap fwap fwap! Fwapfwapfwapfwap!_

Kicking off the ground, she continued flapping, beating down the air so she could achieve flight. She felt elated, her hopes rising as she rode a lazy vortex upward. In that spit-second of flight she had nearly forgotten the mission. She had to make this look real. Make it look like a getaway. The great escape!

She hadn't even broken through the cover of the trees when she saw the freak flock. They were coming from the east, just as Boss had said. The way they rode the wind was breathtaking, their wings strong and clean, well-used and not tied together like hers were… Fury boiled and churned in the pit of her stomach, burning like acid.

_Fwapfwapfwapfwapfwapfwap!_

Inhaling a great lungful of air, she got ready for the show. "_Guuuuuuuuys!_" She didn't even have to scream twice as their heads immediately swiveled to look at her. The looks on their faces were priceless. She just had to do it again, acting just like Maximum. "_Guuuuuuuys!_"

_Maximum, eat your heart out._


	12. Deceptions

They couldn't believe their eyes. They just couldn't! Except Iggy, that is. He didn't even have to see to know that Max was near. Her voice was unmistakable! Fang was looking at her, wide-eyed, almost unable to comprehend what was happening. He almost forgot to keep flapping, dropping a few feet as he watched the blond-haired angel streak upward in the sky. Aiming straight for them.

He made note of every inch of her. Every bruise or scratch. The dirt and leaves clinging to her tattered clothes and hair. She looked unhealthily skinny. He could see her cheekbones jutting outward slightly, her arms bony, but her wings scared him the most.

They were no longer the beautiful brown speckled gossamer wings he had seen growing up. Feathers were bent, a filthy gray color, and seemed to be missing in some areas along with apparent scars where someone had obviously broken them and the bones jutting out at one point in time. They seemed awkwardly bent at an angle as she flew. He couldn't put his finger on it why they looked that way.

It wasn't until she had reached them, her ashen face brimming with a relieved smile and tear-filled eyes, that he realized why they looked that way.

They had bound her wings. Tied them together.

_Oh my God…_

"Max!" Nudge launched herself through the air to cling to Max dangerously in midair. Tears were streaming down both their faces as they released each other and Gazzy had a turn to throw himself at her. Angel, Total, and Iggy were circling them. They were cheering, laughing, and crying. They had Max back! She was alive!

"You're back Max!" Angel cried. "You're back!"

Iggy hollered, shaking a fist at the earth. "Take that bad guys! We've got her back!"

All of them but Fang were weeping uncontrollably now. The reality of it all came rushing in all at once, smashing the insides of their minds with enough force to knock them out of the skies forever.

Max had obviously been captured. She was held captive all this time. That meant, they all held their breaths, thinking the same thing--the School was back.

After the reunion in the sky, they banked toward a nearby lake. Fang was leading, his dark eyes searching the trees below them as they prepared to land. He wasn't about to let anyone jump then now that they had Max back. There was no way in hell.

"Max!" Nudge wheezed practically the second they touched ground. The motor was revving. "Where were you this entire time? Did you get captured by…you know...the white coats? Are they back? What did they do to you in there? Are you okay? How did you get out? Were you being chased?" She looked around, wide-eyed. "Are we being watched now? Are we gonna get jumped?"

Fang looked at Max, his dark eyes watching her intently. Searching for any signs that she may be weary, exhausted, or even inured in any way. Besides her wings and lack of food, she seemed all right after she got the mud washed off her. She didn't even seem in the least bit worried that they may indeed be targeted, ready to be pounced on by some unknown, unseen enemy. Instead, she seemed distant from everything. As if she were trapped in some dream. A daze.

"Max?" he called to her, his voice as calm as he could make it. She blinked a few times, waking up, and looked at him. Her face showed no emotion other than a slight hint of exhaustion. She had been running, flying, for her life. That seemed normal. He moved closer to her, feeling the eyes of the flock on his back as he did so, then sat next to her on a log. "Are you okay? Your wings…" With a careful hand, he felt down her spine then up again, stopping along the joints connecting them to her shoulders. It disturbed him greatly how bony they felt.

Very quickly, he watched as she subconsciously stroked something silver around her neck. He noted this in the back of his mind as she responded quietly, "I'm fine. Thanks. Just tired. Hungry." Actually, she wasn't hungry. They fed her more food that same day then she ever had before since she arrived at the new lab. By tomorrow, her bony frame would be back to her normal, muscular, and lean form. She would be the real Maximum.

Nudge and Angel crowded her other side, their eyes wide with worry. "Did they hurt you bad? Is anything…hurting?"

Gazzy was behind her, as well as Iggy. The Gasman had seen how misshapen her wings were in flight. He was scared. "Max. Your wings looked…broken. Are they?"

"If they were, I wouldn't be flying Gaz." She looked back at him, a warm smile forming from her worn expression. This act was by far her best yet.

Iggy trailed a crafty hand where Fang had done the same thing not even a minute ago. She unfolded her wing just slightly, knowing that was what the real Max would do. The real Max cared for these freaks, these losers. She had to as well, for now. A troubled look took hold the blind boy's face as he felt along her wing. His sensitive fingers could pick up any irregularities in her feathers. He had her texture memorized down to the very last follicle. What he felt was very bizarre. "Max, did they bond your wings?"

Her shoulders stiffened. _How did he know? _Nodding silently, she just remembered he was blind and replied, "Yes."

"And certain parts…I can feel scars. Long ones…" His fingers continued to trail along her wing, his expression growing more and more troubled by the second. The flock was hanging on his every word. Scared to death for their beloved leader, their friend, their sister. Without her, there was no use going on. Nothing else to live for. "Did they break your wings, Max?"

Angel gasped silently, her little mouth hanging open as she stared at her oddly outstretched wing. She just imagined them bounding her big sister's wing, tying them together as if they were a bundle of sticks, and then breaking them. Even in her short existence living in the world, she had yet to feel what it was like to have her wing broken. She never wanted to.

Nudge looked on worriedly, for once her mouth not spewing out sixty words a minute. She was silent, stiff, ready for the worst. A long while ago, back home, she had fractured her wing once and was held up in bed for at least a week because of the pain. Even with her recombinant DNA and extra speedy recovery cells, the pain was still there long after it healed.

The air was thick as they waited for Max to answer. She was stiff as she sat there on the log, her head bent forward in exhaustion. Silently, she was begging, pleading for them to just leave her alone! She was fine! Yes, they had bound her wings. Yes, they had broken them, but for good purposes behind it! It was to make them better! If she was to be just like Max, she had to be able to move exactly like Max. Since she could not hit the two-hundred speed boost in the air, she had to have a special surgery on her wings to help her along in her evolutionary stage. It was unknown whether the operation was a success.

To tell the truth, she was kind of afraid to find out.

A calloused but firm hand touched her shoulder, scaring her a little. She turned slightly to find herself staring into the dark one's eyes. Fang's. He was giving her the most intense, protective stare she had ever seen in her life. "Max, did they?" Even though he meant nothing to her, she couldn't help but melt slightly at the deep concern in his voice for her.

If only it were truly meant for her…

_What are you thinking Max?_ _Stick with the program! Get your head out of the clouds!_ After her mental scolding, she nodded again and whispered, "Yes. They broke my wings." It was scary how convincingly scared and sad she sounded. Maybe, just maybe, she really _was_ hurt by what they did.

Just maybe.

Nudge, Angel, Gazzy, Iggy, Total, and Fang had matching looks of horror and disbelief. Angel wrapped her skinny arms around her neck as the rest of the flock, besides Fang and Total, surrounded her in their own hugs, wings unfolded and all. Faintly, Max felt something tug at her heartstrings. A feeling she never felt before.

She felt…loved. Belonged. Never before had anyone ever given her the opportunity, the pleasure, for her to ever feel this way. She liked it.

Too bad. She was going to kill them anyway.


End file.
